turnsole

[turn-sohl]

noun

any of several plants regarded as turning with the movement of the sun.

a European plant, Chrozophora tinctoria, of the spurge family, yielding a purple dye.

the purple dye prepared from this plant; litmus.

Nearby words

Origin of turnsole

1325–75; Middle English turnesole < Middle French tournesol the dye < Italian tornasole the plant, literally, (it) turns (toward the) sun, on the model of Greek hēliotrópion heliotrope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for turnsole

The lower part from a was filled with water tinged blue, or rather purple, with the juice of turnsole, or archil.
Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air|Joseph Priestley
A violet tint is given by the tinctures of turnsole and cochineal.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
He styles the colouring substance itself cutbear, persio, or turnsole; and distributes the lichens as follows:—1st.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for turnsole

turnsole

noun

any of various plants having flowers that are said to turn towards the sun

a euphorbiaceous plant, Croton tinctoria, of the Mediterranean region that yields a purple dye

the dye extracted from this plant

Word Origin for turnsole

C14: from Old French tournesole, from Old Italian tornasole, from tornare to turn + sole sun, from Latin sōl sun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012